This image shows tiny purple ropes, dotted with turquoise and yellow sugar bubbles. These ropes are a fibrous material that mimics tissue in the body. Many ropes together can weave a custom-made tissue band-aid. This new material can then help heal damaged organs.

Scientists create these bio-compatible ropes by pushing the fiber material through microscopic molds. The bubbles are a residue from a lubricant which helps the fibers flow through the mold.

Alexandra Edelbrock

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Tools & Techniques: Scanning Electron Microscope, colored in Adobe Photoshop, NUANCE